CAUSES OF LOW BACK PAIN

Why Do I Get Low Back Pain?

The lumbosacral area of the lower spine bears much of the body weight and is a key stress point in body movements, especially bending, lifting and twisting. Most aches and pains in the low back can be attributed to injury, aging, or abnormalities in bone or joint formation of the lower back.

What Are The Common Causes Of Low Back Pain?

The most common causes of low back pain are:

• muscle and ligament problems such as strains, imbalance, dysfunctions, or injuries which may lead to spasm;
• problems associated with the small alignment joints of the spine called the facets;
• degenerative disc disease;
• intervertebral disc herniations.

Low back pain can also result from birth defects, tumors, abnormalities in the blood vessels, or by problems not related to the spinal column itself, such as kidney problems, blood vessel aneurysms, tumors, diseases within the pelvis, reproductive organ problems, etc.

What Are Muscle Spasms Of The Low Back?

Low back muscle spasms are continuous or interrupted cramps caused by undue stress or injury of muscles and ligaments of the back; their purpose is often to splint or protect a nearby painful nerve, joint, or ligament.

Normally, as the body moves, muscles contract and relax in quick succession. However, when a muscle is overworked or injured it can go into a continuous contraction or spasm as a means of attempting to tell the body to put it to rest and let it recover. The blood vessels that bring it nutrients and carry off waste may constrict. Soon cells in the stricken muscle becomes oxygen-starved and the body calls to the nervous system for help by the production of painful sensations. Often there is a vicious cycle: pain--spasm--more pain--more spasm.

Because spasms often occur in non-muscular (joint, ligament, disc space) injuries, people frequently mistake a mechanical low back or disc problems for a muscle injury.

What Is Mechanical Low Back Pain?

Mechanical low back pain is pain related to certain motions and postures of the back. Often there are abnormal changes, such as weakening of some of the supporting structures of the low back, most especially the pairs of little facet joints or the outer fibers of the disc structure. These changes allow abnormal motion in the joints or disc space and can cause an irritation of the nerves that give feeling to these joints. This may produce severe, usually recurrent, local and radiating buttock/leg pain and reflex spasm in nearby muscles.

What Are Lumbar Discs?

Lumbar discs are the structures which serve as cushions between vertebrae of the spinal column. The center of the disc is normally a clump of soft, slippery, stringy tissue, which is sealed in what seems to be a fibrous, elastic outer rind built rather like the casing of an automobile tire.

What Happens When The Discs Disintegrate?

With age or injury, the inner core of these cushions starts to dry up, causing the tough outer rind to bulge, buckle, separate, or split into layers. Edges of the casing start to pull away from the vertebral bones, and the vertebrae move closer together. There may be a loss in disc height and flexibility. Although this is, to some extent, a natural process of aging and body repair, it can cause serious symptomatic problems.

Disc degeneration often produces growth of new bone along the edges of the vertebrae and the facet joints and is sometimes called "arthritis." These bone "spurs" can cause a narrowing of the space available for the spinal nerves and compression of nearby spinal nerves, possibly resulting in pain, numbness, and loss of strength of certain muscles.

What Is A Herniated Disc?

Herniated discs are commonly misnamed "slipped" discs and can occur from injury, low back loading, or spontaneously when the outer rind of the disc ruptures or herniates and the inside tissue breaks through its boundaries and puts pressure against the very sensitive spinal nerves. The slightest movement--even a laugh, a sneeze, or a cough--can cause excruciating pain that runs into or shocks the leg and foot.

Are There Other Causes Of Disc Problems?

Anything that upsets the structural balance of the back and spine, including abnormal curvature (scoliosis), and poor posture, can lead to disc-related problems. Having one leg that is shorter than the other can cause a tilt in the spine resulting in unequal weight bearing, and may lead to damage of the discs. Any injury or imbalance of the ligaments and muscles which help support the spine can cause abnormal pressure on the disc casing.

What Causes Instability In The Spine?

Sometimes the tough but elastic fibers that make up the outer rind of the disc start to break down from injury, aging, or an inherited tendency. When this happens, the disc and attached bones may start to shift around or wobble. This creates instability in the spine and may be so painful as to require a bone-to-bone fusion. Deterioration of the little alignment joints of the spine may produce painful instability; it can also occur as a result of a fracture of the bony connection of the facets to the supporting vertebral body.

Does Extra Weight Cause Back Pain?

If you are overweight, it is almost certain that there is excess loading on your lumbar spine. It is extremely important for overweight individuals with low back pain to undergo weight loss as the first part of a treatment program. Excess weight also leads to a thinning of the abdominal muscles which are so important in maintaining strength of the body trunk.

What Is Failed Back Surgery Syndrome?

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome exists when multiple back operations have produced no improvement in back or leg pain and no recovery of function. Often there can be progressive incapacitation and even further loss of function.

Table of Contents

Introduction
CAUSES OF LOW BACK PAIN
NEXT: DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM
TREATMENT FOR LOW BACK PAIN
PREVENTING LOW BACK PAIN